A la riba del riu Gaià, trobem el monestir de Santes Creus , que era el centre d’un dels dominis monàstics més extensos i influents del Regne d’Aragó. Amb una arquitectura sòlida, seriosa i austera, l’abadia reflecteix el model canònic dels monestirs cistercencs (juntament amb Vallbona de les Monges i Poblet ). Visitar Santes Creus és reviure un moment en què la puresa i la distància del món de les persones es van concretar en un lloc ben arrelat a la terra.
Fundat el 1160, el punt àlgid de Santes Creus es trobava entre els segles XIII i XIV, per la seva estreta relació amb la noblesa i la família reial. Els reis, Pere el Gran i Jaume II el Just i la seva dona, Blanca d’Anjou, eren patrons del monestir i van optar per ser enterrats aquí, en dos mausoleus gòtics al costat de l’altar major. L’estudi i restauració de les tombes reials, el 2010, va permetre que es descobrissin intactes les restes de Pere el Gran i Blanca d’Anjou, les úniques restes dels Reis i Reines de la Corona d’Aragó.
El pla fonamental del monestir va organitzar els espais segons les necessitats de la comunitat. L’església, que es va obrir per al culte el 1225, és un exemple de la transició del romànic al gòtic. Tot i aportar sensació de lleugeresa i grandiositat, és un temple sòlid i auster. Contrasta amb l’esplendor del claustre, que data del segle XIV, el primer d’estil gòtic de la Corona d’Aragó.
The Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes stands on one of the peaks of the Serra de Rodes, a mountain range right by the sea in the north of Alt Empordà. It is one of the many testimonials of Catalan Romanesque architecture, but it may also be one of the most architecturally sophisticated.
From the 11th to the 14th century it was the main spiritual centre of the county of Empúries and its splendor can be seen in the large dimensions of the monastic complex. This comprises the church, the bell tower, the cloister, the sacristies, the conventional rooms for everyday living and the Palau de l’Abat (the Abbot's Palace).
The monastery is built in terraces in order to adapt to the terrain and the various buildings are arranged around the cloister and the church, built between the 10th and 11th centuries. In these two buildings you can see an exceptional example of Romanesque sculpture: the columns (original) and the capitals that crown them tell us about the classical influence that has marked this unique church.
On the outside, the ‘portalada’, designed by the Mestre de Cabestany, showed different scenes from the life of Christ carved in white marble. The scarce fragments that remain, give us a sample of their extraordinary quality, probably one of the best of its time.
From the monastery you can enjoy one of the best views of Cap de Creus. Shortly before reaching it, you will see the ruins of the medieval village of Santa Creu de Rodes, the most notable of these being the Church of Santa Helena de Rodes.
The Girona Art Museum, founded in 1976, could not have chosen a better setting than the Episcopal Palace, from the 12th and 16th centuries, to host its collection. The museum has the third most important collection of Romanesque and Gothic art in Catalonia. The jewel in the crown is the portable altar from the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes, made of stone and wood covered with silver.
Notable also from the medieval collection is the polychrome Romanesque beam from the Monastery of Sant Miquel de Cruïlles, one of the few preserved in Europe. Or the Virgin of Besalú, considered one of the best Gothic examples of its kind. Names such as Bernat Martorell and Lluís Borrassà also have presence there.
But the art collection of the Girona Art Museum goes beyond the Middle Ages. It consists of 8,500 objects that span from the Greek colonies up to the twentieth century.Specifically, this last period also has a presence in the Museum with works by Joaquim Vayreda, Santiago Rusiñol and Ramon Martí i Alsina.
Military strategy and religious worship are united on the highest peak of Cardona. From the 9th century, the Castle and the Collegiate Church of Sant Vicenç have dominated the region and control the salt basins. During the War of the Spanish Succession, when they become a symbol of the resistance for the supporters of the Archduke Carles against the defenders of Philip of Anjou: the castle was the last fortress to surrender to the Bourbon troops and it fell after the capitulation of Barcelona on 18th September 1714.
The medieval complex is divided between the stately pavilions and the canonry of Sant Vicenç. The Castle was built in 886 under the command of the Count of Barcelona, Guifré el Pilós, but was not completed until several centuries later. Of the most notable elements of the first building from the 9th century only the Torre de la Minyona remains. During the first half of the 11th century, it was constructed within the precinct of the Church of Sant Vicenç, an imposing building and one of the best samples of the first Catalan Romanesque.
A great example of medieval military fortification, between the 11th and 15th centuries, the castle was the residence of the Lords of Cardona but eventually it lost its residential function and gained strategic importance. From the 17th century, the fortress updated its defensive system with a ring of bastions.
Despite being one of the most emblematic sites, Cardona was not the only setting linked to the War of Succession. The "Route 1714", organised as part of the programme of activities for the tri-centenary, includes 10 locations, such as El Born in Barcelona, the University of Cervera and the Rafael Casanova House Museum, among others.
The Modernista Vapor Aymerich, Amat i Jover woollen mill is one of the finest examples of industrial Modernista architecture in Catalonia. Designed by the architect Lluís Muncunill and opened in 1908, it is currently the headquarters of the Museu Nacional de la Ciència i la Tècnica de Catalunya - MNACTEC (National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia).
With its characteristic roof of Catalan-vaulted skylights supported by cast iron pillars, and a 42-metre high chimney, the building housed the entire process for transforming wool, from fleece to woven cloth. The name by which the mill is popularly known, 'El Vapor' (steam), refers to the steam engine that was its driving force until 1914.
The museum today reflects the building's industrial past as a woollen mill. The aim of the MNACTEC is both to conserve and raise awareness about Catalonia's scientific, technical and industrial heritage, while also demonstrating the social impact it had. The permanent exhibitions encompass the textile industry, sources of energy, computing, chemistry and transport, amongst others.
The MNACTEC also oversees a Territorial System that coordinates 26 museums and other centres specialising in industrial, scientific and technological heritage. Each of them provides a unique thematic perspective that helps explain the process of industrialisation in Catalonia, as well as the technical, social and cultural repercussions it had.
Eusebi Güell, faithful defender of the works of Antoni Gaudí, commissioned the architect to design a church for the textile village that he had constructed in Santa Coloma de Cervelló, close to Barcelona.
Construction didn't begin until the end of 1908, two years after its commission. Moreover, Gaudí abandoned the project in 1914 and work was suspended indefinitely in 1916, at which point only the crypt was built.
But for Antoni Gaudí, both the project and the construction of the crypt in Colònia Güell were a testing laboratory, where he experimented with architectural solutions and new structural techniques that he later used in the Sagrada Família. He made bold attempts, using brick and stone that pushed the limits of the construction of architectural structures, such as the parabolic arches and the sloping walls and columns.
Located in Barcelona's Gràcia district, Casa Vicens was the first major work of the architect Antoni Gaudí. The house is one of the seven buildings designed by the great architect which were declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2005.
Built between the years 1883 and 1888, the house presents various spaces separated by stepped angles, in a concept opposite from that of La Pedrera in which wavy lines predominate. The construction shows oriental and Moorish, touches, fashionable at the time, with the facade covered in green and white glazed tiles. A clear allusion to Manuel Vicens i Montaner, exchange and stock exchange broker and the man who entrusted Gaudí to design his future home. For the decoration, Gaudí was inspired by the plants that grow in the garden of the estate, applying for the first time his principle of using nature as an inspiration for architecture.
In the interior the Moorish style continues to predominate, which manifests in a very pronounced manner in the room known as the "fumador" (smoking room). On the ceiling, ornamentation in the form of colourful plants and flowers complete an exotic and surprising ensemble that he made all the rage among the elite of Barcelona at the time.
In 1885, Eusebio Guell commissioned Antonio Gaudi to construct his residence in the heart of Barcelona, specifically in the street Nou de la Rambla. Gaudí conceived a solemn and ostentatious building, and used rich and expensive materials such as marble, hardwood and wrought iron. The sobriety of the façade, most likely due to its location on a small site on a narrow street, contrasts with the lavishness of its interior. Parabolic arches on the façade are decorated with wrought iron railings, and give away to a wide entrance, allowing for the entry of horses and carriages.
The building is accessed through a magnificent central hall covered by a dome that exceeds the height of the roof and, through perforations shaped like a star, lets in sunlight. The hall, with a chapel attached, is richly decorated with columns, windows and grilles and leads to other rooms, all replete with windows and ornate furniture. The palace also has a large stable basement, a feature that few houses had.
There is also innovation in the use of chimneys located on the roof of the building; elements frequently used in the imaginative decoration of Gaudí. In fact, it is in the design of these chimneys that the architect first used a decorative resource that became most representative of his work: the 'trencadís' (mosaic).
The Casa Milà is one of Antoni Gaudí's most unique works. Situated right on the Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona, it breaks with the physiognomy of the avenue. It is a building constructed with two interior patios and a basement, lower floor, main floor, four apartments, attic and roof. Gaudí established the building's structure based on stone pillars, brick and iron and the main support of the catenary archand parabolic arch.
Its construction generated a great deal of controversy in the early 1900's. Barcelonans gave it the nickname "La Pedrera," (the quarry) which refers to the type of creamy white stone used that comes from the quarries in Garraf and Vilafranca del Penedès.
Many also described it as a large boat that rowed along the Passeig de Gràcia. The building's façade is characterised by theundulations and openings in the stone to facilitate interior lighting and ventilation.
The building featured 20 homes that were rented to affluent families of the era. The Milà couple, the owners of the property, lived in the penthouse apartment. La Pedrera, however, is not a conventional residential building. Gaudí's objective was to create dwellings in movement, where everyone could have their own layout according to the needs of each tenant
The building is crowned with a rooftop terrace, finished with seven chimneys, covered withlime, white 'trencadís' (mosaic) and glass. The heads of seven mythological warriors are featured, which, from the almost imaginary rooftop, watch over the city.
With a style that is original, fantastic and full of imagination, the Casa Batlló is one of the most representative works of the architect Antoni Gaudí. Situated on the Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona and inspired by nature, it is a marvel of ornamental design and a masterpiece of form, colour and light. For all these reasons, it was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
Without doubt, the most unique architectural element is the façade of Casa Batlló; the combination of stone, wrought iron, broken pieces of glass and polychrome ceramics that make it one of the most creative and original designs of the architect.
On the top, the roof is shaped like the back of animal with large iridescent scales. Crowning it all are large spherical pieces that look like ridges and remind one of the figure of a dragon or a similar fantastic animal. Another important element of the façade is the tower crowned by a cross with four arms, as well as the design of aquatic themes that decorate the walls. The mask-shaped balconies and main floor gallery simulating bones are two attractive additions to the building.
Highlights inside include, among other elements, the ceiling of the main hall, the groups of chimneys on the roof, the main staircase and the parabolic arches of the loft, creating open and ventilated spaces advanced for the time.
